Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)
Most golf teachers tell you that if you want the best results, you should focus on a target before you make your swing. Unsurprisingly, then, most professional golfers say they focus on the smallest target they can find, thus narrowing their vision to a single point. They fix their eyes on exactly where they want the ball to go.
We know athletes in other sports follow the same principle. Basketball players zone in on the basket, baseball hitters follow the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, and race car drivers certainly look for the finish line. In every case, the goal draws the athlete’s focus.
So here’s the big question: Where do you want to end up when your life is over? As a believer in Jesus and a traveler in the kingdom of God, I know that I want to make it, at the end of my life, to the place where Jesus is. I want to take my place with him as he rules and reigns forever. I want to live in the place he has prepared for me.
Our job is to give our life back to him every day and let him lead us. Let us never lose sight of him.I don’t want to miss a thing that Jesus has in store for me. Like with the main character in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, many dangers and pitfalls will threaten to come between me and my ultimate destination. So I need to stay focused on that goal. I know I cannot really comprehend what it will be like with Jesus, but if the joy I have experienced here on this fallen earth is any indication, I suspect I will be left speechless. I really want to make it there!
Our verse today gives us a very important point of instruction about how we should run our race and ensure that we make it to our destination. Just as a golfer intently focuses on the most specific target he can see, we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus. If we choose to follow him, we have to deliberately focus our attention on him. If our focus becomes blurred by the entanglements of the world around us, we can end up in hazards we would not have had to endure. Jesus used the Parable of the Sower to show us that faith can be choked out by the thorns of self-indulgence and pride. We need Jesus to show us the way. We can’t make it home on our own.
To follow after Jesus means that we look to him to guide and direct us. He is personally the author and perfecter of our faith. Our job is to give our life back to him every day and let him lead us. Let us never lose sight of him. If we fix our eyes on him, we will make it to the end and be joined with him, along with the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. What a day that will be!
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Linda Ballard
November 7, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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